Hey there,
I'm Angelina Merino from the House of Health and I'm thrilled to be guiding you through a five-minute breath meditation.
Your breath is always with you.
When you practice meditating and breathing you gain a skill that you can use whenever you need to quieten the mind.
Just following a few breaths can relax the mind and body so you can calmly observe and respond to the world around you rather than mindlessly reacting to events.
So with that in mind let's begin.
Today we are going to explore three-part breathing,
A wonderful way to calm the mind and body,
Increase oxygen supply to the blood and release muscle tension.
Start by becoming comfortable whatever that feels like to you,
Sitting,
Standing or lying down just do what feels right for your body.
Feel supported by the surface beneath you and gently close down the eyes.
This is your moment,
Your space,
Your time.
Soften your shoulders and soften your face.
Place your hand over your belly button and take a slow deep breath into your belly.
Feel the tummy expand as you inhale and gently contract as you exhale.
Now move your hand over your ribcage.
Take a slow deep breath into your ribs,
Feeling the ribs expand as you inhale and gently contract as you exhale.
Now moving your hands to just below your collarbone at the center of your chest,
Take a slow deep breath into your chest.
Feel the chest expand as you inhale and gently contract as you exhale.
You may continue to use your hand as a guide or try the breathing exercise without.
Breathing into the belly,
Feeling it rise and continue inhaling as a breath expands to the ribs and then the chest.
Pause for a moment completely filled with air at the top of the breath.
Exhale from the chest,
Then the ribs,
Then the belly.
Pausing for a moment at the bottom of the breath.
Once again breathing into the belly,
Feeling it rise and continue inhaling as a breath expands to the ribs and the chest.
Pause for a moment completely filled with air at the top of the breath.
Exhale from the chest,
Then the ribs,
And then the belly.
Pausing for a moment at the bottom of the breath.
And just continue with this three-part breathing here,
Just bringing to mind your body and breath.
If your mind is wondering,
Just know that that is perfectly normal.
Each time you notice your mind wandering to problems and to-do lists,
Gently and without judgment bring your focus back to your breath.
Be kind to yourself.
Just know that if you need to refocus once,
Ten times,
A thousand times,
It's all welcome and okay.
Just like each day is different,
Each practice will be different.
Now once you're ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes,
Slowly opening your eyes and taking a stretch if that feels right for you.
And before you jump up to get on with your day,
Just take a moment to thank yourself for having taken a mindful moment today.
Join me again tomorrow for our next breath meditation.
